Electrical connector.



C; C. ARMSTRONG.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. APPLICATION man JULY 24. 19:6.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

' Inventor.-

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CHARLES C. ARMSTRONG, OEMAIRYSVILLE, OHIO.

ELECTRICAL commerce.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

Original application filed June 27, 1916, Serial No. 106,244. Divided and this application filed July 24,

f 1916. Serial No. 111,018.

l 7 To all whom it may concern:

Be it, known that I, CHARLES C. ARM- STRONG, a citizen of the United States, and resident ofMarysville, Ohio, have lnvented certain new and useful. Improvements in Electrical Connectors, of which the following is a specification, this application being a division of my application filed June 27th, 1916, Serial No. 106,244.

My present invention relates to improvements in electrical connectors and is designed more particularly for use in connecting flexible conductors with portable heating devices, such as heaters for table use, sad irons and the like.

Heretofore, so 'far as I am aware, such connections have usually been in the form of a plug and socket brought together or separated by a relative rectilinear move ment, and engaging with such friction'as to require the operator to hold the heater W1th one hand, while removing the plug, or corresponding part, with the other hand, especially after the parts have become somewhat corroded in use.

This is a matter of considerable discomfort and annoyance as it is usually necessary to remove the plug while the heater or other device is still hot.

The object of the present invention is to devise a coupling which may be readily connected and disconnected by a rocking movement by the use of one hand only and w1thout requiring the holding of the electric heating device with the other hand.

The invention includes thenovel construction hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims, an embodiment of the invention being shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a .sectional elevation, and

Fig. 2 a face view of one of the parts.

Referring by reference characters tothis drawing, the numeral 2 is intended to represent an electric heating device, such for example as an electric cooker for-table use, and

' 20 the electric conductor which is to be coupled thereto. Secured tolthe frame or- -portion of the electric heater 2 are a palr of tongues or projections 18, preferably of loopedsheetmetal, which are secured to the member 2 by means of set screws 18 and properly insulated therefrom, and designed to be connected to the reslstance wires by means of said set screws 18*, which serve as binding screws.

These tongues have oppositely directed shoulders or rounded projections 18" and inclined end portions. A socket member 19 secured to the end of the insulated conductor 20 has within the socket 20 thereof a pair of fingers 21 with indented portions 21 corresponding to the projections 18*. Either the tongues 18 or the fingers 21, or both, may be 'made of spring metal. Preferably both tongues and fingers are made of spring metal to insure easy connection and disconapplying the socket piece in a tilted posi-.

tion. By thereafter straightening thesocketpiece the other finger and tongue will spring into interlocking engagement .with each other.

The connection may be separated by a reversal of the movement, to wit; a tilting of the socket piece out of its normal, position, and both these operations of connection and disconnection may be readily effected by one handwithout the necessity of taking hold .of the heating device.

The fingers or contacts 21 of the female part of the coupling are not secured by screws, but are held in place between the two halves a and b of-the socket member 19. Said contact members have at their rear ends angularly turned portions 21 which abut against the rear walls of the socket and are retained in position by the rear ends of the central projections 19* of the socket 'members, abutting against the inner faces of said angularly turned portions. Saidprojections' have at the ends small ribs Said projections 19 have latich serve asstops to 21. .The socketmembersof each other, sired shape, and retain the spring contacts 19 are duplicates by being merely clamped together. As the or flanges 19 which lie between the adjoining ends of portions 21. eral extensions 19", wh limit the inward movement of contact arms are 'easilymolded into the decontacts are held entirely by their rear angular turned ends great resiliency is secured with short contact arms.

The tongues 18 constituting the male portion of the contact are doubled back upon themselves and provided with inclined ends 18 bearing with a sliding contact on inclined faces of portions 22 of the carrier 22, this further adding to the spring action What I claim is 1. In an electric coupling a male member comprising a pair of tongues with reversely faced shoulders and inclined ends, and a female member comprising a pair of socket members, and a pair of spring fingers. to enmeans? gage said shoulders, said spring fingers haring angular bent ends resting between shoi: L dersformed by walls of said socket members and retained therein by the assembling of said members.

2. In an electric couplin a male membercomprising a pair of loop-s aped spring fingers having free inclined end portions and -1nc11ned rigid abutments against which said CHARLES C. ARMSTRONG. 

